The Lass and the Loner
by ambigram2000
Summary: I sorta suck at this, but here goes. She doesn't want to be married, but Gabriel decides it's the only way. This is my 1st try at fanfic, so please don't flame to much. Pretty please?
1. Default Chapter

"Why is he doing this?" Brianna asked herself. "And why does he seem to think that by kissing me, I'll simply see everything his way?"

"You've not seen your reflection of late, have you?"

She spun around to see an old woman watching her from an open doorway. "Why do you say that?"

"Old Celine was as beautiful as you be once. Men fell at my feet," the woman explained.

Brianna thought back to the reflection that had greeted her this morning. Nothing special as far as she was concerned...russet colored hair, fair skin and dark eyes. Brianna hoped that Gabriel didn't see her the way this old woman was suggesting. "In his line of...work, I would be a distraction. I won't see something happen to him and live with knowing I caused it."

"Is your man already married?"

"No."

"Are you promised to another?"

Brianna silently shook her head.

"Has he threatened to send you to a convent?"

"Heavens no." Brianna's voice was soft and her mind filled with a conversation in which she had told Gabriel; quite boldly, in fact; that marriage or going into a convent were the only options open for a woman. And that she wanted nothing to do with either.

"Then what is it he's asking of you?"

"He wants me to leave the city with him when he goes." But it was so much more than that.

"It sounds to me like he's offering marriage, child. Think on his offer." With those words, she pushed the door closed. The old woman was right. Gabriel was offering her marriage...according to him, they were already married. But at what cost to him? He might as well as have closed the cage door behind her now. Lost in her thoughts, Brianna never saw the dark form that shadowed her.

That dark form was standing in her path when she turned a corner. Startled, she gasped when she found her wrist manacled in an iron grip. And then she recognized that dark form. Gabriel had found her.

"What would you have done if I were a man come to steal your virtue, Brianna?" he demanded, trapping her other wrist when she made to slap him. "What will you do now?" By this time he nearly had her cornered.

"Leave me alone," she panted, fighting to free herself.

"Naughty girl," he tisked when she brought her knee up in an attempt to catch him in the groin. Neatly pinning her leg to the side with his own, Gabriel continued. "Not here."


	2. Chapter 2

"Why is he doing this?" Brianna asked herself. "And why does he seem to think that by kissing me, I'll simply see everything his way?"

"You've not seen your reflection of late, have you?"

She spun around to see an old woman watching her from an open doorway. "Why do you say that?"

"Old Celine was as beautiful as you be once. Men fell at my feet," the woman explained.

Brianna thought back to the reflection that had greeted her this morning. Nothing special as far as she was concerned...russet colored hair, fair skin and dark eyes. Brianna hoped that Gabriel didn't see her the way this old woman was suggesting. "In his line of...work, I would be a distraction. I won't see something happen to him and live with knowing I caused it."

"Is your man already married?"

"No."

"Are you promised to another?"

Brianna silently shook her head.

"Has he threatened to send you to a convent?"

"Heavens no." Brianna's voice was soft and her mind filled with a conversation in which she had told Gabriel; quite boldly, in fact; that marriage or going into a convent were the only options open for a woman. And that she wanted nothing to do with either.

"Then what is it he's asking of you?"

"He wants me to leave the city with him when he goes." But it was so much more than that.

"It sounds to me like he's offering marriage, child. Think on his offer." With those words, she pushed the door closed. The old woman was right. Gabriel was offering her marriage...according to him, they were already married. But at what cost to him? He might as well as have closed the cage door behind her now. Lost in her thoughts, Brianna never saw the dark form that shadowed her.

That dark form was standing in her path when she turned a corner. Startled, she gasped when she found her wrist manacled in an iron grip. And then she recognized that dark form. Gabriel had found her.

"What would you have done if I were a man come to steal your virtue, Brianna?" he demanded, trapping her other wrist when she made to slap him. "What will you do now?" By this time he nearly had her cornered.

"Leave me alone," she panted, fighting to free herself.

"Naughty girl," he tisked when she brought her knee up in an attempt to catch him in the groin. Neatly pinning her leg to the side with his own, Gabriel continued. "Not here."


	3. Chapter 3

Brianna's mind was whirling madly, searching for a way to save herself as her "husband" tossed her over his shoulder and set off down the street. She'd seen the look in his eyes and knew this didn't bode well for her. Her prayers went up to God above that Gabriel, being the honorable man he was, wasn't going to do something they would both regret.

She heard the rasp of first one and then a second bolt it was thrown before she suddenly found herself dumped on a soft feather mattress. "Gabriel, don't do this," she warned as she backed across the bed. "I know I may have angered you, but please, don't do this." They were in a room she didn't recognize.

"Don't do what, Brianna?" he muttered as he stripped off his gloves, hat and coat before tossing them over a chair sitting before a blazing fire. He began to unbuckle his vest as he watched her in the firelight. "Don't do what?"

"What I see in your eyes," she replied in a voice that was much calmer than she felt. "You know I'll fight you every step of the way."

"I told you that the church sees us as man and wife. If you hadn't run-"

"If you hadn't kissed me, I wouldn't have run in the first

place. I don't know who this Carl is, but you should question where he gets his knowledge." As he stripped off his vest and advanced on the bed, Brianna suddenly knew how a hunted animal felt.

"Leave Carl out of this." He'd heard Brianna and the old woman talking and well understood her desire not to be the cause of his death, but it didn't explain her sudden and rather vehement aversion to marriage. "I know you don't want anything to do with being married. Now I want to know why."

"You can't do your job, as well as protect me."

"Let me decide what I can and can't do." Gabriel planted his fists on his hips as she darted passed him. "There's a lock on that door as well as the next chamber. This deep in the Abbey, you'd only get hopelessly lost. You aren't going anywhere." He watched her expectantly as she backed away from the door. He was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

"I'm a liability, Gabriel. The creatures you battle, I can't defend myself from. Besides, you made it quite plain that you work alone." Brianna tried to move away from him, but he caught her wrist.

"I can teach you to defend yourself," he replied. Gabriel wasn't going to let her use his words against him. "And even the lone wolf must take a mate." The issue was still unresolved, but there would be time.

This time the kiss was gentle and she didn't struggle when his free hand buried itself in her hair.


End file.
